单选题
In the United States, it is important to be on time, or punctual, for an appointment, a class, etc. However, this may not be true in all countries. An American professor discovered this difference while teaching a class in a Brazilian (巴西的) university. The two-hour class was scheduled to begin at 10 A. M. and end at 12. On the first day, when the professor arrived on time, no one was in the classroom. Many students came after the scheduled time. Several arrived half an hour later. Few apologized for their lateness. Were these students being rude? He decided to study the students' behavior. The professor talked to American and Brazilian students about lateness in both an informal and a formal situation, at a lunch with a friend and in a university class. He found that if they had a lunch appointment with a friend, the average American student defined lateness as 19 minutes after the agreed time. However, the average Brazilian student felt the friend was late after 33 minutes. In an American university, classes not only begin at the scheduled time in the United States, but also end at the scheduled time. In the Brazilian class, only a few students left the class at 12:00; many remained past 12:30 to discuss the class and ask more questions. While arriving late may not be very important in Brazil, neither is staying late.
单选题
The word "punctual" most probably means ______. A. leaving soon after class B. coming early C. arriving a few minutes late D. being on time
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】根据文章第一句it is important to be on time，or punctual可知punctual的意思是“守时”。
单选题
Why did the professor study the Brazilian students' behavior? A. He felt puzzled at the students' being late. B. He felt angry at the students' rudeness. C. He wanted to make the students come on time later. D. He wanted to collect data for one of his studies.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】从第一段美国教授在巴西的经历可看出，他对巴西学生的表现很困惑，因此A为最佳选项。
单选题
It can be inferred from the professor's study of lateness in the informal situation that ______. A. American students will become impatient if their friend is five minutes late B. neither Brazilian nor American students like being late in appointment C. being late in one culture may not be considered so in another culture D. Brazilian students will not come thirty-three minutes after the agreed time
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】从第二段教授对约会的调查中可知，美国学生和巴西学生对约会迟到的定义是不同的。所以选C。
单选题
From the last paragraph we know that in Brazil ______. A. it is important to arrive at the appointed time B. it is rude for professors to be late for class C. it is normal for students to leave during lectures D. it is natural to keep the professor staying after class
单选题
What is the main idea of this passage? A. It is important to be on time for class in the United States. B. The importance of being on time differs among cultures. C. People learn the importance of time from the culture they are in. D. Students being late for class should explain the reason to their teacher.